In the meantime there's been more car searching and Boy Scout meetings and work going on soooo...I'm behind on taking pictures (although I will say the ONE upside to the time change means I now have daylight to take photos when I get home from work which means I don't have to do it in the mornings while trying to get the kid off to school).
All of this means I ain't got much to talk about or share right now...which means you get a bead porn post!
Don't everybody thank me at once :-)
I'm usually mostly a silver girl (hello? Silver Parrot? kind of a clue, yes?), but there are times where my brain just looks at certain beads (usually based on color) and goes "nope, can't put silver with that...MUST have gold." I can sometimes placate that voice with brass, but not always so I do try to keep my eye out for a few gold findings, wire and charms here and there . I thought these textured vermeil rings would make great components in either a necklace or earrings.
These were to replace some dangles at the bottom of a pair of earrings that I was not totally happy with. Upon receiving them, I promptly put them in a "special place so I would not lose them" and could make the swap out in the earrings. You'll never guess what happened! Yeah, I can't find them. Do you ever do that? It happens to me more often than it used to and really bugs me when it does. I am sure they will turn up eventually!
Teeny vermeil swallow links.
Teeny vermeil hummingbird/flower links. All of these vermeil pieces are from Sweet Rock Candy Beads.
Copper awesomeness from Kristy Bowman. She's got some gorgeous white copper pieces in her shop right now - be sure to check those out, too.
I'm always drawn to marquis or long-oval shaped stones - they are so fantastic for the long, dangly earring style that I love so much. These are turquoise dyed howlite.
This version is slightly longer and narrower and is green-dyed howlite. Both are from Gemme Tresor.
When I took the time over the holidays to think about kick-starting my blog/shop/creativity for 2014, I gave a lot of thought as to what direction I'd like to take my designs. This included cataloguing my strengths/weaknesses/comfort zones, etc. As a result, I made a conscious decision to focus a little more on ocean-themed designs as that seems to be where I do my best work. Also, by recognizing where my comfort zone is, I can make it work harder for me by trotting it out in those times when I'm feeling stressed or less than creative and stop holding myself hostage to the need to "top" myself or "always do something NEW! and IMPROVED!" Not that those aren't good things to shoot for or that I don't want to grow as a designer, but I also don't want to be stifled by making those imperatives. Which is all a really long-winded intro about why I bought these lovely green sea glass rondelles.
And these capri blue ones, too. Both are from Linden Avenue.
Someone in an email somewhere introduced me to the Etsy Crack flavor that is Pajego Art House where I found so much stuff I wanted that I nearly sprained a finger clicking the "buy" button. I love the bright colors, floral decals and the unique combo of a toggle and pendant/focal all in one. Plus, BIRD TOGGLE! How cool is that!
Flowers! Color! Dragonfly! Ow! There goes my finger again! I was just over on her store grabbing the link for this post and got distracted doing the whole "need it, need it, want it" dance.
Ceramic and bronze clasp from Thea Elements.
If you've been following the blog, then you read all about my turtle adventure on Maui this past summer. That trip inspired me to start creating some turtle-themed designs of which scouring Etsy for turtle beads and then hoarding them for an unspecified period of time is the first step! This ceramic pendant made me think of a bone carving or a fossil.
But I am always a sucker for anything in the teal/blue/green family so I had to get this one, too. Both are from Slingin' Mud.
Of course, no matter how awesome all that other stuff is (and it is awesome), I will always be a lampwork girl at heart...especially when the colors and designs are this juicy and delicious.
Both of these sets are from Helen Chalmers.
I'd like to say I think things are going to quiet down so I can focus back on my various experiments and some completed jewelry, but I think we all know that is probably wishful thinking. Still, I vow to keep things going here with at least 1-2 posts per week...even if I have to resort to bead porn to do it!
Check back on Friday to see my Earrings Everyday challenge pieces which I WILL get photographed and posted in time for the reveal, she said with conviction while still wondering how it will get done and which chores will have to be ignored to make it happen...
KJ
1 comment:
Ahhhhh bead porn!!! I needed that!
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